I woke up to find no one beside me. As I changed my clothes and prepared to leave, I heard a familiar voice coming from the living room downstairs.
I had heard this voice for three years, I couldn't be mistaken. It was Percival.
Just as I was about to turn around and go back, Percival's gaze swept over to me. I gave him a dry smile.
What am I scared of? We've already broken up.
I casually walked over to Sebastian, pretending to be familiar, and leaned on his shoulder. "Sebastian, who's this?"
Sebastian glanced at me, his eyes filled with clear meaning.
You don't know who he is?
I cleared my throat awkwardly and called out to him, "Hey, Percival!" Percival's face immediately darkened, as if it could drip ink.
"Piper?"
Percival's tone was unsure.
Oh, it's only been a few days, and he doesn't even recognize me now.
I immediately decided to tease him. "I'm Piper, um... I'm Piper's sister."
"Your sister?" Sebastian remarked, his fingers lightly pinching the soft flesh at my waist. It was true that my handwriting wasn't the neatest.
Percival frowned, thinking for a moment.
When he first saw this woman, he really did wonder if she was Laylah.
The woman standing before me was nothing like Piper. It wasn't about her appearance, but the entire energy she radiated.
Piper had that pure, innocent vibe that made any man want to protect her the moment they saw her.
But the woman in front of him radiated a certain seductive energy.
Men who saw her seemed like well-trained dogs, completely submissive to her. Percival thought that if he had met her first, perhaps after Laylah returned, he wouldn't have so easily let her go. Percival Janeted at me for a long time, and I felt the air around us grow colder.
What's going on here?
That guy's eating what he's got, but he's still eyeing the bowl and thinking about what's in the pot.
Who does he think I am, some kind of second option?!
I gave him a cold smile and then turned to Emery. "This is the ex-boyfriend I told you about last night—the one who dumped his girlfriend of three years as soon as his first love returned."
A person who's all about being a cricket only finds joy in being one in person.
Sure enough, when Percival heard this, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Emery, control your woman."
Sebastian just shrugged, helpless.
"My mouth, my rules. I'll say whatever I want."
No matter what I said, Sebastian would cover for me. Having someone like him in my corner felt pretty good.
Though I didn't particularly need a protector, it was nice to avoid handling all the mess myself.
Let Sebastian deal with the trouble for me.
For some inexplicable reason, I trusted this man I'd only met once more than I should have.
"I received the invitation, Mr. Mccann. Please leave," Emery said, issuing the dismissal.
But Percival could only stand there with a dark face, forcing out a few words. "I hope Mr. Mccann will attend as promised."
"Well… you can bring your wife along for a little fun." Emery's tone was casual, but when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with tenderness.
---
Percival handed over the invitation. It was for a banquet hosted by the Laylah's family to celebrate Laylah's return after completing her studies. The Laylah's family was far less impressive than the Percival family, and when compared to the Mccann family, they were practically insignificant.
So today, Percival himself came to personally invite Sebastian to attend, to help Laylah make a grand entrance. When Sebastian had me pinned down on the bed, I was still in a daze.
"Piper? Which part of what you said is true and which part isn't?"
Seeing his gritted teeth expression, I felt a little panicked, but I searched my memories and couldn't recall ever meeting this person before.
There was just an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Seeing my confused look, Sebastian Frost reluctantly released his grip on me.
"Shall we go? Do you want to have some fun at the party tonight?" I quickly nodded.
